I am a Christian who happens to live in America and I honestly don't know if I understand or have experienced true suffering. To many this might be a good realization and some might even say it is a blessing but I think I have come to disagree with this. Suffering is a natural by-product of the Kingdom.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. " Matthew 5:10-12
The words of Jesus seem pretty clear to me- People of the Kingdom suffer.
Suffering was a common companion of the Apostle Paul. Take a glance at his back and you would have seen the result of one who suffered for the Kingdom. I also hear stories of our brothers and sisters in China, Iraq, and East Africa who share the same companion as Paul.
But what about us?
You know what scares me, if suffering is a natural by-product of Kingdom living and I have not experienced it then maybe I am missing out on the Kingdom of God here and now. Maybe I am not truly living out the words of Christ in Matthew 5, 6, and 7.
God,
May we suffer not for suffering sake but because our lives are aligned with Your Will and Your Kingdom. We need your grace, we need your power and we covet Your love.
In the Name of King Jesus, Amen.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
What is suffering? Are there differing degress of suffering?
Suffering must be something that is different for different people. The very definition of the word differs from one dictionary to another. I've read all of these today: Very Unhappy, full of misery, feelings of mental or physical pain, pyschological suffering, misery resulting from afflication, a state of acute pain, pain, see distress, to submit or be forced to endure, to put up with, to sustain loss or damage, to be subject to disability or handicap, etc.
I'm sure all people who are kingdom oriented and are practicing "kingdom living" have suffered to some extent, but probably on different levels. I honestly see what you are saying. I don't think I have suffered greatly either, but I know that I have experienced the Kingdom of God here. Our late night talks, the discussions we have, helping others, and things of the like. All Kingdom Living. The thought of starting a new ministry, working with children, the potential to help others and love others at anytime...All Kingom Living. Certaintly none of those things are exactly like what the Apostle Paul would have experienced. I have no scars to mark my suffering except for some life lessons and some mental trama.
What about the guy you helped at the gas station? You helped that guy because of the way you lived (kingdom oriented)...but what did he do? Started demanding things of you and being disrpectful. Is that suffering? I believe so, and a youth saw how you handled it. What better example could you have to show a good way to deal with suffering? That wasn't the response that God would have wanted for you, but you dealt with it and pushed through.
What about the lady I helped at the gas station? I gave...she took and left, never to be heard from again.
What about being shunned at work for your beliefs? That happens. People talk behind your back for sure. Is that suffering?
Can we experience the suffering that Paul did in the United States? Heck yes we can. Maybe not as readily as we could experience it in another country.....
Jeff is probably right that there are degrees of suffering, but I have to agree with you, Chris, I'm not sure I've ever really suffered, so I'm concerned that I'm not experiencing the Kingdom of God. At least as I should be.
I do feel really blessed that I have started a conversation with you and Ben. It's really making me start to think about alot of things.
Jeff, you do bring up a good point. It would be hard for us to expect physical harm within the borders of our country.
Jesus is pretty clear about people of the Kingdom being made fun of and have all kind of evil said against us.
Maybe this is the kind of suffering that we will suffer as we serve the King.
Also I think that we need to develop relationships with those elsewhere in the world who do suffer at greater levels. Within those relationships we can truly share in their suffering.
Another thing that impacts our lack of suffering in America is that our society is beginning to pride itself in its tolerance of people and their beliefs. In Paul's day Christianity was a radical new grassroots movement that people loved to hate. Today our culture accepts Christianity as a dominate influence and lifestyle. I'm not suggesting that Christian suffering in America doesn't exist, I'm just agreeing that we need to think of persecution in a different context.
I definitely agree that suffering can take place on many different degrees. In a way who can say that they suffered much worse than someone else? The thing is that American culture has been designed to compete for the greater amount of suffering. Such as yeah you broke your leg but someone out their has cancer. That kind of thing. The attitude that someone always has it worse than you and in a way it humbles us. Although, that attitude should not be taken in an extreme measure. No one has the right to judge how bad or how little you suffered.....people need to realize that that is a job for the man upstairs. Our job is to be there and give encouragement and hope to anyone that suffers....no matter what degree it is.
Post a Comment